454 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



out of doors. They were divided into different lots and treated at 

 intervals of 2 weeks with different quantities of a 2i per cent salt solu- 

 tion, the different lots receiving during the investigation 10, 10, 80, and 

 200 cc. of a salt solution. In 1897 this experiment was repeated, the 

 dates of application of the salt solution being May 18, 28, June 11, 25, 

 July 9, 23, August 7, 20, and September 3. Both the experiments show 

 that it was useless to try to prevent the rust by the use of salt solu- 

 tions, either applied to the soil or on the foliage, and that such applica- 

 tions of salt did not aid in the growth of carnations. 



Further experiments on spraying cucumbers, F. 0. Stewart 

 (Neiv York St<ite Sta. Bui. 138, pp. 636-644). — Experiments reported on 

 the effect of spraying late cucumbers (E. S. R., 9, p. 218) were continued 

 with early cucumbers. Eight rows of 25 hills each were planted early 

 in May, and 4 of the 8 rows were kept well covered with Bordeaux 

 mixture throughout the season, 14 applications being given the plants. 

 The weather was rather unfavorable for the growth of cucumbers, yet 

 they did fairly well. The first disease to make its appearance was the 

 bacterial wilt disease, which appeared about August 2, and during the 

 following 2 weeks killed about 50 plants on the unsprayed plat and 

 only 5 or on the sprayed. On August 1 1 there were traces of anthrac- 

 nose on the unsprayed plat, and toward the end of the season it was 

 very destructive It also did some damage on the sprayed plat toward 

 the close of the season. The downy mildew appeared about the same 

 time on the unsprayed plat, where it spread rapidly and did much 

 damage, but did not attack plants on the sprayed plat. A careful rec- 

 ord was made of the number and weight of the fruits of the different 

 plats and the increase in number of fruits and weights duo to the spray- 

 ing as shown. In general it is stated that on Long Island it is unneces- 

 sary to begin spraying cucumbers until the middle of July. The downy 

 mildew is easier to control by spraying than the anthracnose. The 

 prevalence and destructiveness of the downy mildew of the cucumber 

 on Long Island during 1896 is noted, and it is shown that it was more 

 destructive that year than the year following. A relation between the 

 appearance of this disease and the rainfall has been claimed, but the 

 author states that probably the high temperature the first year had 

 more effect than the rainfall. 



For the purpose of ascertaining to what extent the downy mildew can 

 be controlled when an entire field of cucumbers is sprayed, a coopera- 

 tive experiment was conducted in which an acre planted to cucumbers 

 was sprayed 8 times with Bordeaux mixture 1 to 8 formula. The dates 

 of spraying were July 22, 30, August 7, 10, 25, September 4, 13, 20. The 

 experiment was terminated by a killing frost on the night of September 

 28. The total yield of fruits is given, showing that the production was 

 slightly in excess of 100,000 for an acre, the average yield on Long 

 Island in 1897 being about 20,000 per acre. 



The common observation that downy mildew is less destructive to 

 cucumber plants when partly shaded led to an experiment in which 



